Device for refrigerating beverage containers



June 17, 1958 PLANES Y SOLA DEYICE FOR REFRIGERATING BEVERAGE CONTAINERS Filed Au 29, 1956 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. I

ATTORNEYg I June 17, 1958 PLANES Y soLA DEVICE FOR REFRIGERATIFNG BEVERAGE CONTAINERS Filed Aug. 29, 1956 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 li T INVENTOR LEONEL PLANES Y SOLA Q11 flag ATTORNEYS June 17, 1958 L. PLANES Y SOLA 2,833,916

DEVIQE REFRIGERATING BEVERAGE CONTAINERS Fild Aug. 29, 19 56 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG. 7

INVENTOR LEONEL PLANES Y SOLA BY mu ATTORNEYs June 17, 1958 L. PLANES Y soLA 2,838,916

DEVICE FOR REFRIGEEATING BEVERAGE CONTAINERS Filed-Aug. 29, 1956 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 7 INVENTOR LEONEL PLANES Y SOLA ATTORNEYS United States Patent" REFRIGERATING BEVERAGE CONTAINERS Leonel Planes y Sola, Havana, Cuba Application August 29 1956, Serial No. 606,882

11 Claims. (Cl. 62-77.)

DEVICE FOR This invention relates broadly to the art of refrigerators and in its more specific aspects it relates to a device whereby a container for liquid is kept cool and carbonated during the period in which it is being consumed; and the nature and objects of the invention will be readily recognized and understood by those skilled in the arts to which it relates in the light of the following explanation and detailed description of the accompanying drawin-gs illustrating what I at present believe to be the preferred embodiments or mechanical expressions of my invention from among various other forms, arrangements, combinations and constructions, of which the invention is capable within the spirit and scope thereof.

It is well known that carbonated beverages and such effervescent beverages as beer lose their elfervescence once they are opened and are poured into a glass, particularly when the consumer thereof is slow in drinking the beverage. This results because the beverage bubbles and thereby loses its desired effervescence and becomes I beverage after it has been poured into a glass or the like and while it is being consumed and also to keep the beverage in the glass at the desired low temperature while it is being consumed.

I have devised a practical refrigerator which is adapted to receive a glass containing a beverage and which will keep it refrigerated while it is being slowly consumed as well as maintaining its effervescence so that it will be a very palatable drink. I have provided such a device which performs these highly desirable functions while also permitting easy and ready access for removal of the glass from time to time by the person who is drinking therefrom. Realizing that most drinks out of glasses are consumed in living and drawing rooms I have designed this refrigerator so that it is neither ungainly nor unsightly and is of such a size that it may be easily sup-, ported on coffee tables and the like articles of drawing room furniture. In view of the uses to which this refrigerator is put I have provided practical and satisfactory means to eliminate the chance of drippage or leakage therefrom Which might damage or mar the article of furniture upon which the refrigerator may be placed.

The refrigerator of this invention broadly involves a container for a beverage glass or the like which involves a space or spaces for a refrigerant and I have also provided novel and simple means whereby the refrigerant is constantly urged into conductive relation with the walls of the glass will take place. Yides sealing means for the beverage glass whereby the "ice . 2 gases in the beverage will not be permitted to escape so that the beverage will be maintained in a highly carbonated' condition to increase and maintain the palatability of the drink. i

In designing this refrigerator I have provided an arrangement whereby the refrigerator may be quickly and easily charged with the refrigerant and there will be no leakagefrom the refrigerator. It has also been one of my purposes to construct a device whereby the glass may be easily'removed and inserted in the refrigerator so that the drinker of the drink may remove and insert the glass from time to time with the greatest facility.

This refrigerator may be produced economically and since it has few working parts it will last under normal service conditions for many years.

With the foregoing general objects, features and results in view, as well as certain others which will be apparent from the followingexplanation, the invention consists in certain novel features in design, construction, mounting and combination of elements, as will be more fully and particularly referred to and specified hereinafter.

Referring to the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view in section of the device with a refrigerant therein and with a beverage glass in cooling position within the refrigerator. v v

Fig. 2 is a view of the refrigerant basket supporting annulus in section and in top plan. a

Fig. 2A is a view taken on line 2A2A of Fig. 2.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the refrigerant baskets separated from the device.

Fig. 4" is a top plan view of the refrigerant baskets.

Fig. 5 is an end view in elevation of one of the refrigerant basket sections.

Fig. 6 is a top plan view of the annulus for supporting the refrigerant baskets.

Fig. 6A is a View taken on line 6A6A of Fig. 6.

Fig. 7 is a top plan view of the washer for the cover.

Fig. 7A is a view taken on line 7A7A of Fig. 7.

Fig. 8 is a detailed view of the meeting ends of the inner walls of adjacent refrigerant baskets and the means for fastening them together.

Fig. 9 is a view in section similar to Fig. 1 but without the refrigerant and the beverage glass in position within the refrigerator.

Fig. 10 is a top plan view of the cover for the beverage glass and the hinge mounting therefrom.

Fig. 11 is a detailed view of the arm and hinge arrangement for the cover for the beverage glass.

In the accompanying drawings I have used the numeral 1 to designate in its entirety the refrigerant casing of my invention. This casing is preferably though not necessarily formed of a light metal, such as aluminum, however it may be formed of any other suitable material and still fall within the spirit and scope of my invention. The casing 1 includes a major portion 1a which may be of generally cylindrical form which tapers inwardly at its bottom to provide a reduced neck portion 1b and at its bottom the casing 1 is flared outwardly as at 10 to form a bottom wall compartment. The casing 1 is formed with a bottom 2 and at its center a shaft or supporting rod 3 is fixed to project upwardly therefrom. A rotary element 4 is journaled on the upper end of shaft 3 for rotation relative thereto and the rotary element supports a drain disc 5 thereon. The drain disc is provided with a multiplicity of perforations and is fixed'in any suitable manner to the rotary element 4 so that the disc is rotatably mounted. As will become apparent as this description proceeds the disc 5 is adapted to support a beverage glass 6 thereon. The drain disc 5 issupported in the plane of the most restricted portion of the part lb of the refrigerator casing. I preferably provide a perforated ring or annulus 5a which is fixed in the restricted portion 112 of the refrigerator casing and extends inwardly to lie adjacent the periphery of the disc 5 as willbe apparent from-consideration of'Fig. 1 of the drawings. Adjacent its inner periphery the annulus 5a is formed with a pair of spaced upstanding flanges 20 which form a guide or groove in a manner to be'hereinafter explained.

The cooperating perforated annulus 5a and the perforated disc 5 form in effect a second or raised bottom for the casing to provide a chamber 7 for receiving the water from the melted refrigerant and a drain plug 8 is provided in the wall of chamber 7 for draining the melted ice therefrom. V

The refrigerator casing 1 is provided with a cover 9 which is hingedly attached thereto by a hinged connection 1% with a hinge support 10. The cover 9 is provided with a central opening-therein through which the upper portion of the beverageglass 6 projects. A ring shaped washer 9a is positioned between the cover and the top edge of the casing and this washer preferably is provided with an annular depending lip 9b.

Consideration of the drawings clearly illustrates that the casing 1 is adapted to receive therein the beverage glass 6 which, when it is in position projects upwardly beyond the upper edge of the casing 1. I also provide a cover for the beverage glass in order to maintain the carbonating gases in the beverage within the glass. The glass cover I have designated by the numeral 14 and it is preferably formed with a downturned peripheral lip 14a which extends about the external upper edge portion of the glass in spaced relation thereto. I fix a washer 1d!) of similar shape to the underside of the cover 14.

The refrigerator casing I is provided with an upwardly extending and inwardly curved handle 11 which extends to a point above the upper edge of the casing. This handle 11 hingedly supports the cover 14 in the following manner. A pin 13a is fixed to the cover 14 and projects upwardly therefrom and mounts on its .upper and a knob 13. A supporting arm 12 provided with a clamp 12a on its outer end is hingedly attached to the upper end of handle 11 by means of a double hinge arrangement consisting of a link 12b hingedly connected to the arm 12 by hinge 120 at one end and at the other end hingedly connected to handle 11 by means of hinge 12d. When the cover and its supporting arm are assembled the clamp 12a is clamped around pin 13a and the cover may be lifted from the glass and swung clear thereof due to the hinged mounting of the arm 12. The advantages of this construction will be evident for when the glass 6 is in position within the refrigerator casing the consumer of the contained beverage may lift the cover each time itis desired to remove the glass for drinking, and the. cover may beswung rearwardly out of the path of the glass and the cover will stay in this rearwardly swung position until the beverage glass is reinserted in the casing whereupon the cover may be swung into position on the upper rim of the beverage glass. When the device is to be stored it will be understood that the cover may be removed by detaching the clamp 12a from the pin 13a.

It will now be apparent that I have provided an arrangement whereby the carbonating gases will be maintained in the beverage within the glass 6 and I have also provided unique means for refrigerating the glass and its contained beverage when it is positioned within the casing. Consideration of the drawings illustrates that the refrigerator casing 1 is of greater diameter than the diameter of the beverage glass 6 so that an area between the casing and glass is provided, it is in this area that the refrigerant is disposed. I provide a plurality of basket sections for containing a refrigerant and in the illustrated example I disclose three of such sections which I have designated in their entirety by the letters 4 A, B and C. Since the construction of each section A, B and C is the same I shall only describe one of them in detail.

Each refrigerant basket section consists of an outer imperforate wall 15 which is of curved or arcuate shape, and an inner wall of reticulate construction which is shaped similarly to the outer-wall 15. The inner wall designated generally by the numeral 16 consists of a wireframework 16a which forms a top wire, bottom wire and end wires between which are stretched vertical and cross wires, 16b and 16c respectively, to form a wire cloth or reticulated wall. The ends of each basket section are closedby a series of crossed wires forming reticulated end walls, the crossed wires extending from the end wires of the aforementioned framework and the outer wall 15. The inner wall 16 is shaped in general conformity with the shape of the outer wall 15. Each refrigerant basket section is open at the top and the bottom .and the innerwall 16 is of greater depththan the-outer wall .15 fora purpose to be hereinafter explained. Thevertical and cross wires forming the reticulated wall have a degree of flexibility.

I provide pressure means in each refrigerant basket whereby the outer wall 15 is constantly urged inwardly toward the inner wall and against the contained refrigerant basket whereby the outer wall 15 is constantly urged inwardly toward the inner wall and against the contained refrigerant 15a. It will be recognized that this pressure means maintains the refrigerant in the basket in constant contact with the inner reticulated wall as will be more fully explained. Such pressure means comprises a pair of pins 17 which are fixed to each end wire of the framework 16a and which extend outwardly therefrom through the basket to extend through the outer wall 15. Each pin is provided with a head 18 on its outer end and between the head and the outer wall a spiral spring 19 is mounted which constantly urges the outer wall inwardly toward the inner wall.

When it is desired to use my refrigerator to keep a beverage in a glass cool and carbonated while being consumed, the refrigerant baskets are filled with a refrigerant such as ice cubes or cracked ice and each of the baskets is then inserted in the casing 1 as clearly illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings. The inner wall 16 being of greater depth than the outer wall will seat in the annular groove in the annulus 5a which is formed by the upstanding flanges 20 while the lower edge of outer wall 15 will seat on the inwardly flaring or narrowing portion of the casing. The heads 18 on the pins 17 will engage the wall of the casing and the outer wall of each basket will press against the refrigerant in the basket and will keep it constantly in contact with the inner wall 16 so that pieces of ice will be pushed through this reticulated element and into contact with the beverage containing glass which has been inserted in the casing supported on the drain disc 5. The water from the melting ice will, of course, flow through the perforation in the annulus and into the chamber 7 from which it may be drained by removing plug 8. If desired the basket sections A, B and C may be removably attached together by means of the clamp elements 180. After the baskets which are filled with refrigerant have beeninserted in the casing the cover 9 is swung downwardly into operative insulating position and the glass is positioned in the casing and is of course surrounded and cooled by the baskets of refrigerant. After the glass is inserted in the casing the glass cover 14 is swung into position resting on the lip of the glass to keep the beverage therein fully carbonated.

It will now be recognized that I have devised a useful and practical device whereby a drinking glass with its contained beverage will be kept refrigerated while it is being slowly consumed and which will also maintain a high degree of carbonation in the beverage which is within the glass.

I claim:

1. In a refrigerator, in combination, a casing providing a central area, a beverage glass positioned in said central area, a rotatable perforated disc mounted in said casing for supporting said beverage glass, said beverage glass projecting outwardly and above the top of the casing, a plurality of refrigerant baskets removably positioned in said casing and surrounding said beverage glass and adapted to contain a refrigerant, and means for maintaining said baskets in position surrounding said beverage glass.

2. In a refrigerator in accordance with claim 1, wherein a cover for said beverage glass is hingedly mounted on said casing.

3. In a refrigerator in accordance with claim 1, wherein said casing is provided with a handle and a cover for said beverage glass is hingedly connected to said handle.

4. In a refrigerator in accordance with claim 1, wherein a cover having a central opening through which the beverage glass projects is hingedly attached to said casing.

5. In a refrigerator, a casing providing a central area adapted to receive a beverage glass containing a beverage to be kept refrigerated, said casing including a rotatably mounted perforated disc adapted to support the beverage glass, and a plurality of refrigerant baskets removably positioned in said casing and surrounding said central area and adapted to contain a refrigerant and means for maintaining said baskets in position surrounding the central' area.

6. In a refrigerator in accordance with claim 5, wherein said casing has a bottom and said perforated disc is spaced upwardly from said bottom.

7. In a refrigerator in accordance with claim 5, wherein said perforated disc is supported from said bottom and is of reduced diameter relative to the casing, and wherein an annulus is mounted in said casing in co-planar relation with respect to said perforated disc and is in position underlying and supporting said refrigerant baskets.

8. In a refrigerator in accordance with claim 7, wherein said annulus is provided with guide means receiving the lower ends of said refrigerant baskets.

9. In a refrigerator, a casing providing a central area adapted to receive a beverage glass containing a beverage to be kept refrigerated, and a plurality of refrigerant baskets removably positioned in said casing and surrounding said central area and adapted to contain a refrigerant, each of said baskets having an imperfor-ate outer wall and a reticulated inner wall, and means for maintaining said baskets in position surrounding said central area, and further means for constantly urging said outer wall toward said inner wall to maintain the refrigerant in engagement with said inner wall.

10. In a refrigerator in accordance with claim 9, wherein said further means includes pins fixed to said inner Wall and extending therefrom through the basket and said outer wall, and each of said pins having a head on the outer end thereof, and spring means compressed between said outer wall and said head.

11. In a refrigerator in accordance with claim 9, wherein said inner wall is of greater length than said outer wall, and a support means is fixed to said casing for supporting said inner wall.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,984,455 Bienfeld Dec. 18, 1934 

